Automotive vehicles are cleaned both by hand and by machine. Washing by hand often entails the use of a sponge which requires the user to immerse frequently his or her hands in water mixed with soap or detergent. The use of a sponge also limits the area that can be cleaned in any given stroke to the usually small size of the sponge and the reach of the user. A variety of other tools is necessary to clean off dust, dirt, ice, snow and leaves as well as for applying wax over the surface being cleaned and polished.
Mechanical car-washing equipment avoids such personal disadvantages to the user, but may not be as effective in thoroughly cleaning the vehicle. Abrasive bristles and unreliable equipment may also be potentially harmful to a vehicle. There are also many vehicles, such as boats and airplanes which cannot be accommodated by such mechanical washing equipment.
It is desirable to have a device and a method of cleaning such vehicles which avoid the disadvantages of mechanical washing equipment and which clean and protect the implement or craft without forcing the washer to have skin contact with the soap or detergent. It is also desirable to have a device which could clean faster, easier and more effectively than a sponge in addition to being able to clean dust, leaves, ice and snow from the implement or craft.